Samsung wants you to use your smartphone for everything—at least, that's the mindset driving the creation of its newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

The Galaxy Note 9, which was announced on August 9, 2018 at Samsung Unpacked in Brooklyn, NY, is the first smartphone to include a Bluetooth-powered S Pen and the ability to use it in DeX mode with only a small dongle to connect it to a monitor.

Curious about the Galaxy Note 9's features and specs and who Samsung expects to buy this smartphone? Read on.

What is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9?

The Galaxy Note 9 is the latest flagship phone from Samsung. It replaces the Galaxy Note 8, which was released in September 2017.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch display and comes with an S Pen stylus and productivity features to make it appealing to business users. The S Pen is now powered with Bluetooth to give it additional functionality as a remote device.

This Galaxy Note 9 comes with more than a terabyte of memory and storage options, a first for any smartphone. And the smartphone has a 4,000mAh battery, far larger than previous devices in the Galaxy Note lineup.

The Galaxy Note 9 also has a top-of-the-line dual rear camera with features that will appeal to amateur photographers.

Who is the target audience for the Galaxy Note 9?

The smartphone is for customers who would "like to have one device that can do just about everything," said Eric McCarty, vice president of mobile product marketing at Samsung Electronics America.

"We know that employees are spending more and more time away from their desk, and it's increased about 50 percent to the time that they're not at their desk," McCarty said. "And there's this growing number of employees who talk about things like using the same device for work and personal usage."

Samsung's new flagship mobile device is also for anyone who wants a headphone jack, which is included on the Galaxy Note 9.

How is the Galaxy Note 9 different from the Galaxy Note 8?

The first and most obvious difference between the Galaxy Note 9 and the Galaxy Note 8 is that the Note 9 is the first smartphone to top 1 terabyte of storage. Even the smallest amount of storage available has doubled to 128 GB. The Galaxy Note 9 is available in two sizes: 6 GB RAM with 128 GB of internal storage with up to 512 GB of external storage available through a MicroSD, or 8 GB RAM with 512 GB of internal storage with up to 512 GB of external storage available through a MicroSD.

In addition, the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 8 does not have Bluetooth, while the Note 9's S Pen provides Bluetooth for remote capabilities.

The Galaxy Note 9 allows the user to access DeX mode with just a dongle, as opposed to the docking station required with the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 accessing DeX mode with a dongle.

Image: Larry Dignan

The camera is also improved. The Galaxy Note 8 introduced a dual camera, and now the dual camera has an intelligent camera with scene optimizer.

The battery on the Galaxy Note 9 is much larger—it's 4,000mAh compared to 3,300mAh on the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 offers fast network speeds with enhanced 4X4 MIMO and Giga LTE support. And Samsung said the CPU has a 33% improved performance over the Galaxy Note 8, and the GPU has a 23% improved performance.

What is DeX?

DeX mode is an Android-based interface that allows the smartphone to be used with an external monitor for a PC-like experience. Using a dongle or a multi-port adapter makes it easy to connect to an external monitor with HDMI. Previously, a docking station was needed to use DeX with Samsung's smartphones, but now it only takes a dongle or a multi-port HDMI adapter.

DeX demo at Samsung Unpacked event for the Galaxy Note 9

Image: Larry Dignan

What is the S Pen, and why does it matter?

The Galaxy Note 9 includes a completely updated S Pen stylus with Bluetooth. The S Pen has been the cornerstone of the Galaxy Note line of smartphones, and the new version is intended to add functionality for business users.

This is the first time the S Pen has included a Bluetooth low-energy module and antenna and supercapacitor. The supercapacitor allows the user to place the S Pen into the holder on the Galaxy Note 9 for 40 seconds to give it a full charge; this provides enough power for 30 minutes of use or clicking the S Pen's button up to 200 times.

The S Pen can serve as a remote control for PowerPoint presentations or slideshows, whether directly on the phone or with the Galaxy Note 9 running DeX and connected by a dongle or a multi-port adapter to an external monitor with HDMI. The dongle and the multi-port adapter will be sold separately as accessories.

Samsung S Pen in lavender

Image: Larry Dignan

The S Pen functions can be customized by simply pressing and holding the button on the side of the stylus to load an application. The chosen default could be the phone's camera, and the user can present a slideshow by pressing the S Pen's button once each time they want to advance to the next image.

The remote control option using the S Pen for the camera could come in handy in business settings where group photos are taken, Adam Kuhn, national product manager, Samsung Electronics America, said.

The software development kit (SDK) will be released in September 2018 so developers can customize the experience with apps.

The S Pen is still useable even without Bluetooth connectivity, such as when the phone is in airplane mode.

Delivery companies can use the S Pen and Galaxy Note 9 for signature capture, and it has functionality for retailers processing orders, too.

The S Pen also allows users to take notes on the fly through the Screen-Off Memo feature, as well as navigate, translate, and organize notes through Samsung Notes, and send personalized texts through Samsung Live Message, which was first introduced in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung includes the S Pen with the Galaxy Note 9 at no additional charge.

What features come with the Galaxy Note 9's camera?

The camera on the Galaxy Note 9 is targeted for amateur photographers who want to improve the quality of their photos. There's a 12MP rear dual camera with optical image stabilization, and it includes sensors that identify 20 pre-defined commonplace scenes such as a photo of a flower, plant, pet, or person. The sensor optimizes the photo for that recognized scene.

Flaw Detection alerts the user if an image has an eye blink, a blur, a lens smudge, or back light. The alert gives the user a chance to retake the photo before leaving the scene.

There's also an 8MP front-facing camera, and a super slow-mo mode.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9's camera

Image: Larry Dignan

What are the storage and memory capabilities of the Galaxy Note 9?

Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 will be available in two sizes: 6 GB RAM with 128 GB of internal storage with up to 512 GB of external storage available through a MicroSD, or 8 GB RAM with 512 GB of internal storage with up to 512GB of external storage available through a MicroSD.

"Millennials are this new category of workers where 70% admit to breaching IT policies, whether that's forwarding a corporate email to a Gmail account or doing something potentially on the device that might go against corporate policies," McCarty said.

What are the color options for the Galaxy Note 9?

In the US, the Galaxy Note 9 will be available in two colors: Blue or lavender. The blue smartphone comes with a yellow S Pen, and the standard writing color is yellow. The lavender smartphone will come with a lavender S Pen, and the writing will be in lavender.

Additional colors will be available in markets outside of the US.

What accessories are available for the Galaxy Note 9?

There's a new dual-charger pad that lets users charge two devices at once, such as a phone and a watch. The dongle and multi-port adapter are also available to purchase separately.

What should gamers know about the Galaxy Note 9?

Samsung hasn't overlooked gamers with the Galaxy Note 9. With stereo speakers and a 6.4-inch Infinity Display, Samsung is keeping this audience as an option with a water-carbon cooling system to allow the device to run cool throughout heavy gaming.

And the game that seemingly every kid is playing has attracted the attention of Samsung. Samsung is offering a Fortnite promotion so that users can purchase a special, limited-time only skin in the Android app store. Perhaps it's enough to encourage you to do a Fortnite dance.

Where and when can I buy the Galaxy Note 9?

The Galaxy Note 9 will be available for pre-order on August 10, 2018, and it will arrive in stores on August 24, 2018. All US carriers will receive the device at the same time. An unlocked version will also be available.

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About Teena Maddox

Teena Maddox is a Senior Writer at TechRepublic, covering hardware devices, IoT, smart cities and wearables. She ties together the style and substance of tech. Teena has spent 20-plus years writing business and features for publications including Peo...

Full Bio

Teena Maddox is a Senior Writer at TechRepublic, covering hardware devices, IoT, smart cities and wearables. She ties together the style and substance of tech. Teena has spent 20-plus years writing business and features for publications including People, W and Women's Wear Daily.